JPH0512936U - Cursor key device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Purpose] To improve operability. [Structure] In a cursor key device used for moving a cursor on a display screen, a substantially disk-shaped cursor key can be swung around a central axis on a key holder fixed to a substrate. Supported by. Eight movable contacts 32-1 to 32-8 are provided between the periphery of the cursor key and the board.
Are arranged so as to be vertically movable around the central axis at an angular interval of substantially 45 ° and in a position point-symmetrical with respect to the central axis.
The eight fixed contacts formed on the substrate electrically contact with the movable contact at the depressed position in response to the depression of the peripheral portion of the cursor key.

Description

[Detailed description of the device]

[0001]

[Industrial applications]

 The present invention relates to a cursor key device used to move a cursor on a display screen.

[0002]

[Prior Art]

 As is well known, this type of cursor key device is used in a game machine and has a cursor key, a movable contact, and a fixed contact. In the conventional cursor key device, the cursor key has a cross shape in which the center part is supported on the key receiver fixed to the board, and the peripheral part (the end of the cross shape) can be moved up and down. It is flexible. Four movable contacts are arranged between the peripheral portion of the cross-shaped cursor key and the substrate so as to be vertically movable around the central axis. The fixed contact is formed on the substrate and electrically contacts the movable contact at the depressed position in response to the depression of the peripheral portion of the cross-shaped cursor key.

In the conventional cursor key device having such a structure, the four movable contacts are for moving the cursor on the display screen in the upward, downward, left, and right directions, respectively. Therefore, in the conventional cursor key device, when the cursor is moved in an oblique direction, for example, in the “upper right” direction, the movable contact for upward movement and the movable contact for rightward movement are simultaneously fixed to correspond to them. This is done by pressing two adjacent ends of the cross-shaped cursor key so as to make electrical contact with the contact. That is, the CPU is programmed to move the cursor diagonally when it is informed that two adjacent ends of the cross-shaped cursor key have been pressed. In other words, the software moves the cursor diagonally.

[0004]

[Problems to be solved by the device]

 As described above, in the conventional cursor key device, when the cursor is moved in the diagonal direction, it is necessary to press two adjacent cross-shaped ends of the cross-shaped cursor key. It requires a large pressing force (pushing amount) compared to pressing one of the glyph ends. Therefore, there is a drawback that the operability is deteriorated.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a cursor key device that can improve operability. Another object of the present invention is to provide a cursor key device that can move a cursor diagonally with the same pressing force as when moving the cursor vertically and horizontally.

[0006]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

 According to the present invention, in a cursor key device used for moving a cursor on a display screen, on a key receiver fixed to a substrate, a substantially circle supported swingably around a central axis. A plate-shaped cursor key; vertically moved between the peripheral portion of the cursor key and the substrate at a point symmetry with respect to the central axis at an angular interval of substantially 45 ° around the central axis. 8 movable contacts that are arranged so as to be possible; and 8 movable contacts that are formed on the substrate and that are electrically contacted with the movable contact at the depressed position by pressing the peripheral portion of the cursor key. And a fixed contact.

[0007]

[Work]

 According to the present invention, eight movable contacts are arranged between the peripheral portion of the cursor key and the substrate so as to be movable up and down at a point symmetry with respect to the central axis at an angle of 45 ° around the central axis. It is placed. Therefore, the cursor on the display screen can be moved diagonally (upper right direction, lower right direction, lower left direction, and upper left direction) with the same pressing force as when moving vertically and horizontally. Therefore, operability can be improved.

[0008]

【Example】

 Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 3 shows a pocket computer having a cursor key device according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 3, (a) is a plan view and (b) is a left side view. The illustrated pocket computer has a keyboard 10 having a large number of keys, a display device 20 having five display devices, and a cursor key device 30 according to the present invention. The main body (not shown) of the pocket computer is covered with the upper case 40 and the substrate 50. The cursor key device 30 has cursor keys 31 provided substantially in the same plane as the upper case 40. The cursor key 31 is supported on a key receiver (described later) fixed to the substrate 50 so as to be swingable around a central axis, and has a substantially disc shape as shown in the drawing.

FIG. 4 shows the pocket computer shown in FIG. 3A, except that a part of the upper case 40 (a part excluding the cursor key device 30) and a cursor key 31 of the cursor key device 30 are removed. It is a figure which shows the inside seen. The cursor key device 30 is arranged between the peripheral portion of the cursor key 31 and the substrate 50 so as to be vertically movable at a point symmetry with respect to the central axis at an angular interval of 45 ° around the central axis. It has first to eighth movable contacts 32-1 to 32-8. Each of the first to eighth movable contacts 32-1 to 32-8 is a rubber contact, and the lower surface thereof is coated with a conductor (not shown).

Referring to FIG. 1, the first to eighth movable contacts 32-1 to 32-8 are arranged clockwise in this order as shown. That is, when the first movable contact point 32-1 is set to the reference direction of 0 °, the second to eighth movable contact points 32-2 to 32-8 are rotated clockwise by 45 °, 90 °, and 135 °, respectively. , 180 °, 225 °, 270 °, 315 °. The first movable contact 32-1 is for moving a cursor (not shown) in the "up" direction, and the second movable contact 32-2 is for moving the cursor in the "upper right" direction. , The third movable contact 32-3 is for moving the cursor in the “right” direction, and the fourth movable contact 32-4 is for moving the cursor in the “lower right” direction. Movable contact 32-5 for moving the cursor in the “down” direction, the sixth movable contact 32-6 for moving the cursor in the “lower left” direction, and the seventh movable contact 32 -7 is for moving the cursor in the "left" direction, and the eighth movable contact 32-8 is for moving the cursor in the "upper left" direction.

Referring to FIG. 2, the cursor key device 30 has first to eighth fixed contacts 33-1 to 33-8 formed on a substrate 50, which are respectively first to eighth. Are provided at positions corresponding to the movable contacts 32-1 to 32-8. Each of the first to eighth fixed contacts 33-1 to 33-8 is a carbon contact. The first to eighth fixed contacts 33-1 to 33-8 are responsive to the pressing of the peripheral portion of the cursor key 31, and the first to eighth movable contacts 32 at the pressed positions thereof, respectively. It makes electrical contact with -1 to 32-8.

In the present embodiment, each of the first, third, fifth, and seventh fixed contacts 33-1, 33-3, 33-5, and 33-7 has a central axis as shown. It is divided into two parts, a part in the direction (hereinafter referred to as the central part) and a part in the outer peripheral direction (hereinafter referred to as the outer peripheral part). The central part is commonly grounded, and the outer peripheral part is pulled out to the outside. It is connected to a CPU (not shown). On the other hand, each of the second, fourth, sixth, and eighth fixed contacts 33-2, 33-4, 33-6, and 33-8 has one central portion and two outer peripheral portions as shown. And are divided into three parts, and the central part is commonly grounded, but the two outer peripheral parts are connected to the outer peripheral parts of the fixed contacts adjacent to each other. Specifically, of the two outer peripheral parts of the second fixed contact 33-2, one is an outer peripheral part of the first fixed contact 33-1 and the other is an outer peripheral part of the third fixed contact 33-3. Each is connected. Similarly, of the two outer peripheral portions of the fourth fixed contact 33-4, one is on the outer peripheral portion of the third fixed contact 33-3 and the other is on the outer peripheral portion of the fifth fixed contact 33-3. Each is connected. Of the two outer peripheral portions of the sixth fixed contact 33-6, one is connected to the outer peripheral portion of the fifth fixed contact 33-5 and the other is connected to the outer peripheral portion of the seventh fixed contact 33-7. .. Of the two outer peripheral portions of the eighth fixed contact 33-8, one is connected to the outer peripheral portion of the seventh fixed contact 33-7 and the other is connected to the outer peripheral portion of the first fixed contact 33-1. ing.

According to such a fixed contact pattern, the first, third, fifth, and seventh movable contacts 32-1, 32-3, 32-5, and 32-7 are the first and second movable contacts, respectively. , And the third, fifth, and seventh fixed contacts 33-1, 33-3, 33-5, and 33-7, each sends a movement instruction signal to the CPU from the corresponding position. .. More specifically, when the first movable contact point 32-1 and the first fixed contact point 33-1 make electrical contact with each other, a signal for instructing movement in the "up" direction (hereinafter referred to as "up" instruction signal). Abbreviated) is sent to the CPU. Similarly, when the third movable contact 32-3 and the third fixed contact 33-3 electrically contact with each other, a signal for instructing movement in the “right” direction (hereinafter, abbreviated as “right” instruction signal). ) Is sent to the CPU. When the fifth movable contact point 32-5 and the fifth fixed contact point 33-5 electrically contact with each other, a signal instructing the movement in the "down" direction (hereinafter, abbreviated as "down" instruction signal) is generated by the CPU. When the seventh movable contact 32-7 is electrically contacted with the seventh fixed contact 33-7, the signal for instructing the movement in the “left” direction (hereinafter, abbreviated as “left” instruction signal). .) Is sent to CPU. A set of such a movable contact and a fixed contact will be referred to as a one-to-one corresponding contact pair here. When the one-to-one corresponding contact pair electrically contacts, the CPU moves the cursor in the direction indicated by the instruction signal. In other words, when the cursor is moved in the vertical and horizontal directions on the display screen, an instruction signal for instructing the movement is sent from the cursor key device to the CPU.

On the other hand, the second, fourth, sixth, and eighth movable contacts 32-2, 32-4, 32-6, and 32-8 have the second, fourth, sixth, respectively. , And the eighth fixed contact 33-2, 33-4, 33-6, and 33-8, each of them sends a signal to the CPU from the positions of the fixed contacts on both sides thereof. Become. More specifically, when the second movable contact 32-2 and the second fixed contact 33-2 make electrical contact, the "up" instruction signal and the "right" instruction signal are simultaneously sent to the CPU. It Similarly, when the fourth movable contact 32-4 and the fourth fixed contact 33-4 are electrically contacted with each other, the "right" instruction signal and the "down" instruction signal are simultaneously sent to the CPU. When the sixth movable contact 32-6 and the sixth fixed contact 33-6 electrically contact with each other, the "down" instruction signal and the "left" instruction signal are simultaneously sent to the CPU, and the eighth movable contact 32 When -8 and the eighth fixed contact 33-8 electrically contact with each other, the "left" instruction signal and the "up" instruction signal are simultaneously sent to the CPU. A set of such a movable contact and a fixed contact will be referred to as a one-to-two correspondence contact pair here. As described above, when the one-to-two corresponding contact pair makes electrical contact, two sets of instruction signals are sent to the CPU. However, as described in the related art, the CPU moves the cursor diagonally. , Pre-programmed. In other words, there is no need to change the software that was used before. Specifically, when the "up" instruction signal and the "right" instruction signal are received at the same time, the CPU moves the cursor in the "upper right" direction. When the "right" and "down" instruction signals are received at the same time, the CPU moves the cursor in the "down right" direction. When the CPU receives the "down" and "left" instruction signals at the same time, the CPU moves the cursor in the "lower left" direction, and when it receives the "left" and "up" instruction signals at the same time, the CPU moves the cursor. To the "upper left" direction.

In any case, the cursor moves in the direction corresponding to the position where the movable contact is pressed. According to the fixed contact pattern having such a structure, the number of connecting lines for connecting the fixed contact group and the CPU can be reduced. Therefore, the number of parts can be reduced.

In the present invention, the pattern of the fixed contacts is not limited to that in the above embodiment, and the same number of connecting wires as the number of movable contacts (fixed contacts) may be provided.

FIG. 5 shows a sectional structure of the cursor key device 30 as seen from the line VV of FIG. Hereinafter, the configuration of the cursor key device 30 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. As shown in FIG. 5, the cursor key 31 has a recessed central portion. Since the upper case 40 accommodates the cursor keys 31 of the cursor key device 30, the upper case 40 is in a state of being circularly depressed at the portion of the cursor key device 30. The recessed upper case 40 has eight holes 41 for allowing the first to eighth movable contacts 32-1 to 32-8 to project. At the center of the cursor key device 30, a key receiver 34 for supporting the cursor key 31 is fixedly attached to the substrate 50. The key receiver 34 is formed of a part of the upper case 40.

A rotation prevention mechanism is provided between the key receiver 34 and the cursor key 31 for preventing the rotation of the central axis of the cursor key 31. The rotation preventing mechanism has a spherical convex portion 34a protruding from the upper portion of the key receiver 34, and a concave portion 31a provided in the lower central portion of the cursor key 31 and engaging with the convex portion 34a. As shown in FIG. 4, a cross-shaped groove 34b is formed in the concave portion 31a, and a cross-shaped protruding portion 31b is provided at a position corresponding to the cross-shaped groove 34b so as to be insertable (movable up and down). ing. With the rotation preventing mechanism having such a structure, the cursor key 31 is swingably supported by the key receiver 34 while being prevented from rotating about its central axis.

As shown in FIG. 4, the upper case 40 between the key receiver 34 and the first to eighth movable contacts 32-1 to 32-8 has four holes 42 at equal angular intervals. ing. An annular stopper receiver 34c extends outward from the upper end of the outer periphery of the key receiver 34. A stopper 35 is arranged in the space between the stopper receiver 34c and the substrate 50 and in the hole 42. The stopper 35 includes a ring 35a arranged in a space between the stopper receiver 34c and the substrate 50, four L-shaped pieces 35b extending from the outer periphery of the ring 35a toward the hole 42, and each L-shaped piece 35b. And a hook 35c formed at one end of the. This stopper 35 has elasticity. A hook 31c extending downward from the cursor key 31 is engaged with the hook 35c of the stopper 35. With the stopper 35 having such a structure, it is possible to prevent the cursor key 31 from being detached from the pocket computer while the cursor key 31 is allowed to swing. In addition, FIG. 5 shows a state in which the seventh movable contact 32-7 is pressed by the cursor key 31 and the seventh movable contact 32-7 and the seventh movable contact 33-7 are in electrical contact with each other. Shows.

[0020]

[Effect of the device]

 As described above, according to the present invention, eight movable contacts are provided between the peripheral portion of the cursor key and the substrate at an angle of substantially 45 ° about the central axis with respect to the central axis. It is possible to move the cursor diagonally on the display screen with the same pressing force as when moving it up and down, left and right, because it is arranged so that it can move up and down at a point symmetrical position. be able to.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an arrangement of movable contacts of a cursor key device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of a pattern of fixed contacts that are electrically contacted with the movable contacts of FIG.

3A and 3B are views showing a pocket computer having a cursor key device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 3A being a plan view and FIG. 3B being a left side view.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the inside of the pocket computer shown in FIG. 3A, with a part of the upper case (a part excluding the cursor key device) and a cursor key of the cursor key device removed. .

5 is a cross-sectional view showing the cross-sectional structure of the cursor key device as seen from the line VV in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 30 cursor key device 31 cursor key 32-1 to 32-8 movable contact 33-1 to 33-8 fixed contact 34 key receiving 35 stopper

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A cursor key device used for moving a cursor on a display screen, wherein a substantially circular plate is swingably supported around a central axis on a key receiver fixed to a substrate. A cursor key having a shape; vertically movable between the peripheral portion of the cursor key and the substrate at a point symmetry with respect to the central axis at an angular interval of substantially 45 ° around the central axis. Eight movable contacts arranged on the substrate; eight fixed contacts formed on the substrate, which are brought into electrical contact with the movable contacts at the pressed positions by pressing the peripheral portion of the cursor key. And a cursor key device.